Senior Manager, Individual Major Gifts; California

Job Description:

RMI seeks a dynamic Senior Manager based in California to join its team focused on individual and family philanthropy. This role is responsible for securing leadership gifts of $100K+ from individuals and family offices in support of building a sustainable future powered by affordable, resilient, clean energy. The position advances RMI’s highest-priority initiatives, including the Global Research Agenda, the Acceleration Fund, legacy giving, and unrestricted giving through strategic, end-to-end donor engagement that drives sustained philanthropic support.

The position reports to the Development Director, Individual Giving.

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 100-125 high-net-worth individuals and family offices, prioritizing principal gifts of mid-six and seven figures.
• Execute tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies with senior leadership to generate at least $5M in philanthropic revenue annually.
• Align prospects’ philanthropic goals with RMI’s high-impact priorities for the clean energy transition. Represent RMI in meetings and events, traveling regularly to identify, cultivate, and deepen relationships with funders.
• Leverage internal networks and external partnerships to map relationships and create strategic pathways to engagement with high-net-worth individuals and family offices.
• Provide strategic leadership to cross-functional engagement teams, ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities across executive, program, and volunteer leadership.
• Partner with program teams to develop compelling funding proposals and stewardship reports, translating technical details into clear, outcomes-driven narratives.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor data in Salesforce, documenting all interactions to ensure data integrity and provide accurate financial projections.
• Contribute actively to the development team’s strategic goals through participation in staff meetings, task forces, and ongoing collaboration with program colleagues.

Minimum Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 7+ years of experience in non-profit development, with a proven record of successfully soliciting gifts of $100K or more.
• Demonstrated success in building, cultivating, and soliciting a pipeline of both new and repeat donors.
• Demonstrated ability to strategically manage and track a portfolio of prospects and donors.
• Strong record of effective partnership with executives and senior leaders in fast-paced, data-driven environments.
• Experience in the environment, climate, energy, or related fields required.
• Proven experience with legacy and planned giving strongly preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel, primarily in California 25-35% of the time.

• Knowledge of RMI’s mission and objectives and the principles and practices of non-profit organizations.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with RMI staff, Board members, community groups, and other associated agencies.
• Able to navigate and understand a complicated funding environment with the flexibility to change course quickly, with a positive attitude.

We are a remote‑ready company with team members around the globe. Our beautiful and welcoming offices are available for meetings or focused work, whether you are traveling through or living nearby. This position requires you to be located in the U.S. state of California, with possible travel up to 25-35% of the time.

We provide you with essential IT equipment plus a one‑time home technology payment and a monthly work-from-home/commuter allowance to ensure you have a comfortable home office set up and necessary supplies. We love seeing each other in person! We occasionally gather for shared time together like retreats and learning experiences. Be ready to travel for occasional in-person meetings (and of course, we cover travel costs).

Some roles may require more travel, which will be discussed during the hiring process.

At RMI, we prioritize fairness in our pay practices. Salaries are determined based on a mix of experience, market benchmarks, and internal equity across…